Shotgun shell assembly and method of use

ABSTRACT

A shotgun shell assembly having a shotgun shell, a wad with a maximum width sized to be removably inserted within an internal cavity of the shotgun shell and including a firing surface disposed at a distal end of the wad and being of a material harness different than a material hardness of the body of the wad, and an arrow-like projectile with a firing position along a projectile loading path that includes the arrow-like projectile disposed within the internal cavity of the shotgun shell and with the proximal end of the arrow-like projectile abutting the firing surface without being encapsulated by the wad.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to ammunition for use withshotguns and rifles, and, more particularly, relates to shotgun-shellammunition for use with projectile arrows.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There are various types of ammunition available to the consuming public.Some ammunition is designed for use with rifles and/or shotguns. Someusers utilize rifles and shotguns, more specifically shotguns, inconnection with recreational uses such as skeet, clay, and sportshooting. Skeet shooting, for example, involves throwing one or twotargets—typically discs of a rock material—from one or more “traphouses” situated a distance away from shooter. The targets are thrown atset trajectories and speeds and to obtain relatively high accuracy inshooting the targets, a user must not only spend considerable timepracticing, but also working his or her reaction time to the release ofthe targets from the trap houses.

To facilitate in helping the user practice, some known ammunitionincludes projectile arrows that may be embedded into the housing of theammunition and is less lethal than typical pellets, or “shot,” used withsaid ammunition. Moreover, in some instances the arrows may be reusableafter being fired so that the user is only replacing the “hull” of theammunition—which results in lower overall costs experienced by the user.The ammunitions hull or shell is typically made of brass and includes aprimer which produces heat that ignites the main propellant charge,e.g., powder, and fires the shot housed in the hull. Typical shells alsoinclude what is known in the art as a “wad,” which a structure used toseparate the gases or main propellant charge used to fire, from theshot, so as to maximize efficiency and effectiveness of the shot.

Many known ammunitions for use with projectile arrows, however, damagethe arrow and require complete replacement each time the arrow is fired.Some known wads attempt to not only protect the projectile arrow duringthe firing process, but also attempt to guide the arrow through and outof the barrel after the firing process. These wads are typically knownas “sabots.” Many of these wads and sabots surround the arrow andfollow/guide the arrow until it leaves the barrel, at which point thearrow proceeds to the target and the wad and/or sabot ends up on aneighboring ground surface. Some sabots used walls that surround thearrow while in the barrel and then break away during flight.

The above known wads have disadvantages in that there is more debris,and hence cleanup, associated with target practice. Moreover, as some ofthe wads can be hot when discharged from the firearm, there also someinherent safety concerns with many of the known wads when shot aroundthe user or the viewing public. As such, users are desirous of a wadthat not only protects the arrow used in connection with ammunition, butalso a wad that either stays within the barrel of the firearm or thehull of the shell itself.

Therefore, a need exists to overcome the problems with the prior art asdiscussed above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides a shotgun shell assembly that overcomes thehereinafore-mentioned disadvantages of the heretofore-known devices andmethods of this general type and that utilizes a projectile arrow to notonly protect the arrow from the gases generated during the firingprocess, but that also remains in the barrel of the firearm or the hullof the shell.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, there is provided, inaccordance with the invention, a shotgun shell assembly that includes ashotgun shell having a primer and a shell case defining an internalcavity, a wad having a body with a maximum width sized to be removablyinserted within the internal cavity of the shotgun shell and with thewad including a firing surface disposed at a distal end of the wad, andan arrow-like projectile with a distal end and a proximal end, thearrow-like projectile having a firing position along a projectileloading path. The firing surface of the wad may be of a material harnessdifferent than a material hardness of the body of the wad. Furthermore,the firing position includes the arrow-like projectile disposed withinthe internal cavity of the shotgun shell and with the proximal end ofthe arrow-like projectile abutting the firing surface without beingencapsulated by the wad.

In accordance with a further feature of the present invention, the bodyof the wad is of a cylindrical shape.

In accordance with another feature, an embodiment of the presentinvention includes the wad having a firing disc coupled to the body ofthe wad and including the firing surface, wherein the firing disc is ofa circular shape and has a cylindrical shape corresponding to thecylindrical shape the body of the wad. In some embodiments, the firingsurface is substantially planar and is concentrically disposed inrelation to the wad of the body.

In accordance with a further feature of the present invention, thematerial harness of the firing surface is lower than the materialhardness of the body of the wad.

In accordance with an additional feature of the present invention, thefiring surface and the body of the wad are both of a polymeric material.

In accordance with yet another feature, an embodiment of the presentinvention includes the wad having a spherical tip that tapers upwardlyfrom a circumferential point on the body of the wad and terminates intothe firing surface. In said embodiment, the material harness of thefiring surface is greater than the material hardness of the body of thewad. Furthermore, the spherical tip may be concentrically disposed inrelation to the body of the wad.

In accordance with an additional feature, an embodiment of the presentinvention also includes the body of the wad having a platform with acircumferential outer diameter that defines the maximum width of thebody, wherein the circumferential point on the body from which thespherical tip extends is a radial length from the circumferential outerdiameter of the platform.

In accordance with another feature, an embodiment of the presentinvention includes the arrow-like projectile having a plurality of finsthat are slidably and directly coupled to an inner wall of the shellcase when the arrow-like projectile is in the firing position.

In accordance with yet another feature, an embodiment of the presentinvention includes the wad having a distal end, a proximal end, and awad length less than approximately 1 inch that separates the distal andproximal ends of the wad.

In accordance with the present invention, another embodiment includes ashotgun shell target practicing kit that has (1) shotgun shell with aprimer and a shell case having an inner wall defining an internalcavity, (2) a wad having a body with a maximum width sized to beremovably inserted within the internal cavity of the shotgun shell, adistal end and a proximal end, a firing surface disposed at the distalend of the wad, and a wad inner wall spanning from the proximal end thatdefines a volume for housing a main propellant charge, and (3) anarrow-like projectile with a distal end, a proximal end, a plurality offins, and a firing position along a projectile loading path thatincludes the arrow-like projectile disposed within the internal cavityof the shotgun shell without being encapsulated by the wad and with theplurality of fins slidably and directly coupled to the inner wall of theshell case.

In accordance with the present invention, a method of target practicingwith a shotgun having the steps of (1) loading a shotgun shell, definingan internal cavity, with a wad, the wad including a body and a firingsurface of a material harness different than a material hardness of thebody of the wad and disposed at a distal end of the wad, (2) inserting aproximal end of an arrow-like projectile with a plurality of fins intothe internal cavity until the proximal end abuts the firing surfacewithout being encapsulated by the wad, (3) loading the shotgun shell,the wad, and the arrow-like projectile into a firing chamber of afirearm that has a barrel defining a distal opening, and (4) firing thefirearm so as to discharge the arrow-like projectile from the distalopening of the barrel and leaving the shotgun shell and the wad disposedwithin the firearm.

In additional embodiments, the method also includes inserting theproximal end of the arrow-like projectile such that the plurality offins are slidably and directly coupled to an inner wall of the shotgunshell.

Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodiedin a shotgun shell assembly, kit, and method of use, it is,nevertheless, not intended to be limited to the details shown becausevarious modifications and structural changes may be made therein withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention and within the scope andrange of equivalents of the claims. Additionally, well-known elements ofexemplary embodiments of the invention will not be described in detailor will be omitted so as not to obscure the relevant details of theinvention.

Other features that are considered as characteristic for the inventionare set forth in the appended claims. As required, detailed embodimentsof the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to beunderstood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of theinvention, which can be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specificstructural and functional details disclosed herein are not to beinterpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as arepresentative basis for teaching one of ordinary skill in the art tovariously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriatelydetailed structure. Further, the terms and phrases used herein are notintended to be limiting; but rather, to provide an understandabledescription of the invention. While the specification concludes withclaims defining the features of the invention that are regarded asnovel, it is believed that the invention will be better understood froma consideration of the following description in conjunction with thedrawing figures, in which like reference numerals are carried forward.The figures of the drawings are not drawn to scale.

Before the present invention is disclosed and described, it is to beunderstood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose ofdescribing particular embodiments only and is not intended to belimiting. The terms “a” or “an,” as used herein, are defined as one ormore than one. The term “plurality,” as used herein, is defined as twoor more than two. The term “another,” as used herein, is defined as atleast a second or more. The terms “including” and/or “having,” as usedherein, are defined as comprising (i.e., open language). The term“coupled,” as used herein, is defined as connected, although notnecessarily directly, and not necessarily mechanically. The term“providing” is defined herein in its broadest sense, e.g.,bringing/coming into physical existence, making available, and/orsupplying to someone or something, in whole or in multiple parts at onceor over a period of time.

As used herein, the terms “about” or “approximately” apply to allnumeric values, whether or not explicitly indicated. These termsgenerally refer to a range of numbers that one of skill in the art wouldconsider equivalent to the recited values (i.e., having the samefunction or result). In many instances these terms may include numbersthat are rounded to the nearest significant figure. In this document,the term “longitudinal” should be understood to mean in a directioncorresponding to an elongated direction of the shotgun shell.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying figures, where like reference numerals refer toidentical or functionally similar elements throughout the separate viewsand which together with the detailed description below are incorporatedin and form part of the specification, serve to further illustratevarious embodiments and explain various principles and advantages all inaccordance with the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary, side, cross-sectional view of a shotgun shellassembly in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a wad used with the assembly of FIG. 1in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a shell used with the assembly of FIG. 1in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an arrow-like projectile used with theassembly of FIG. 1 in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view, close-up, view of a lower portion ofthe assembly in FIG. 1 with the arrow arrow-like projectile depicted inFIG. 4 that is disposed within the shell in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a wad used with a shotgun shell assemblyin accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional, close-up, view of a lower portion of ashotgun shell assembly using the wad depicted in FIG. 6 and the arrowarrow-like projectile depicted in FIG. 4 in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is an elevational front view of a target used in connection witha shotgun shell target practicing kit in accordance with an embodimentof the present invention; and

FIG. 9 is a process-flow diagram depicting a method of target practicingwith a shotgun in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

While the specification concludes with claims defining the features ofthe invention that are regarded as novel, it is believed that theinvention will be better understood from a consideration of thefollowing description in conjunction with the drawing figures, in whichlike reference numerals are carried forward. It is to be understood thatthe disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, whichcan be embodied in various forms.

The present invention provides a novel and efficient shotgun shellassembly that enables a user to increase his or her shooting accuracyand response shooting time in an efficient and effective manner.Embodiments of the invention provide a shotgun shell assembly and kitthat also enable the user to engage in target practice without going toa shooting range and reduce the time associated clean-up after targetpractice.

Referring now to FIGS. 1, 2, and 5, one embodiment of the presentinvention is shown in a fragmentary and cross-sectional view,respectively. FIGS. 1 and 5 show several advantageous features of thepresent invention, but, as will be described below, the invention can beprovided in several shapes, sizes, combinations of features andcomponents, and varying numbers and functions of the components. Ashotgun shell assembly 100, or kit, is shown collectively in a “firingposition” in FIG. 5. The assembly consists of a shotgun shell 102, a wad104, and an arrow-like projectile 400. Advantageously, the configurationand structure of the assembly 100 results in a device that effectuatesaccurate discharge of the arrow-like projectile 400 in a non-destructivemanner (as it relates to the arrow 400) and enables the wad 104 andshell 102 to remain within the firearm after it is fired. As withammunition shells, the shell 102 includes a primer 118. The shell case102 may be of a metallic, polymer, paper, or other material and primer118 is a small charge of impact-sensitive or electric-sensitive chemicalmixture that may be located in the center or rim of the casing 102.

The first example of an exemplary wad 104 used in the shotgun shellassembly 100 includes the wad 104 having a body 106 with a proximal end108, a distal end 110, a width (represented by arrow 112), and a firingsurface 200 disposed at a distal end 110 of the wad 104. The width 112may be approximately 1/2-5/8″ or is otherwise sized to be removablyinserted within an internal cavity 114 of the shotgun shell 102. Inother embodiments, the width/diameter 112 of the body 106 is slightlysmaller, i.e., +/−1/16″ variance, than the width/diameter separating theinternal side walls, or “inner wall,” of the shotgun shell 102(represented by the arrow 116). Advantageously, the wad 104 includes afiring surface 200 disposed at the distal end 110 of the wad 104. The“wad” is defined herein as a unitary structure that is operable to moveor translate together as one or more piece of material coupled together.

The firing surface 200 is of a material harness different than amaterial hardness of the body 106 of the wad 104. This is beneficial fortwo reasons. First, when the material harness of the firing surface 200is lower than the material hardness of the body 106 of the wad 104 witha structural configuration as shown in FIG. 2, the arrow 400 (shown inFIG. 4) is less prone to being damaged when the shotgun is fired. In oneembodiment, the firing surface 200 and the body 106 are both of asynthetic fiber and a polymeric material, e.g., PVC, acrylic,polyethylene. In other embodiments, the firing surface 200 and the body106 are of a metallic or ceramic material. In one instance, the firingsurface 200 is an acrylic material having a hardness of approximately50-70 Shore D and the body 106 is of a polyethylene material with ahardness of approximately 70-80 Shore D. Typical wads are of a hardnessaround 70-80 Shore D and, when fired, compress due to the compressionforce experienced. When used with an arrow-like projectile 400 made of acarbon fiber material as described below, results have shown that thefiring surface 200, when planar—so as to provide a more evenlydistributed load to the arrow 400—is preferred to be at a hardness ofapproximately 64 Shore D to reduce the possibility of damage to thearrow 400. The term “substantially planar” is defined as flat,+/−approximately 1/8″ in grade deviations.

With specific reference to FIG. 2, in one embodiment, the wad 104 is ofa cylindrical shape as shown in FIG. 2 and has a firing disc 202 coupledto the body 106 of the wad 104. The firing disc 202 enables easy andefficient manufacturing of a wad that generates the required hardnessand tensile strength to translate energy from the main propellant chargeto the arrow 400, without structural degradation, yet also defines thesubstantially planar firing surface 200 of a lower material hardness.The firing disc 202 may be coupled to the body 106 using adhesive, e.g.,epoxy, or other fastening means. The firing disc 202 can be seen of acircular shape and also may have a cylindrical shape corresponding tothe cylindrical shape the body 106 of the wad 104 as shown in FIG. 2. Inone embodiment, the disc 202 and body 106 of the wad 104 may bemanufactured as one piece, i.e., coupled together, using injectionmolding. In other embodiments, the disc 202 and body 106 may be of twodistinct pieces and coupled together as described above. As such, thewad 104 may be effectively and efficiently loaded and unloaded into theshotgun shell 102. In a preferred embodiment, the firing disc 202 iscoupled to the body 106 concentrically, so as to provide an even loaddistribution to the arrow 400.

The wad 104 can be seen having a wad length a wad length 204 separatingthe proximal and distal ends 108, 110 of the wad 104. Beneficially, thewad length 204 is less than approximately 1″ to facilitate adequateinsertion of the arrow-like projectile 400 into the cavity 114 and toprovide enough room to permit the arrow 400 to seat correctly. In otherembodiments, the wad length 204 may vary outside of approximately 1″.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 3, a typical shotgun shell 102 can beseen. While the present invention is directed toward shotgun shells, itwill be apparent to those of skill in the art that the present inventionmay be employed in relation to other types of ammunition having aninternal cavity 114 and a wad 104 with the features described herein.The shell 102 has a distal end 300, a proximal end 302, and a shelllength 304 separating the distal and proximal ends 300, 302. The shelllength 304 may be generally 2-3″ and is made of a polymeric and/ormetallic material.

With reference now to FIG. 4, a perspective view of an exemplaryarrow-like device 400 used in connection with the assembly 100 is shown.The term “arrow-like device” is any projectile having an elongated shaft402 with one or more fins 404. The arrow 400 has a proximal end 406, adistal end 408, and an arrow length 410 separating the proximal anddistal ends 406, 408. The term “proximal end” and “distal end,” as usedherein, does not necessary designate the terminal end of the referencingobject; rather, said terms may also designate the “functional end” of anobject or a point within approximately 1″ from the terminal end of thereferencing object. The arrow length 410 may be generally 4-5″. Theshaft 402 is preferably of a carbon fiber material and the fins 404 areof a polymeric material such that the arrow 400 may be reused afterfiring. The tip of the arrow 400 may be spherical or flat. In otherembodiments, the material of the shaft 402 and fins 404 may vary.

With reference now to FIG. 5, a cross-sectional view of the assembly 100with the wad 104 and arrow 400 disposed within the shell 102 isillustrated. Specifically, the arrow-like projectile 400 has a firingposition (shown in FIG. 5) along a projectile loading path (an exemplarypath is depicted in FIG. 5 with arrow 500) that includes the arrow-likeprojectile 400 disposed within the internal cavity 114 of the shotgunshell 102. Advantageously, the proximal end 406 of the arrow-likeprojectile 400 abuts the firing surface 200 without being encapsulatedby the wad 104. Said differently, when in the firing position, theplurality of fins 404 are slidably and directly coupled to the innerwall 502 of the shell case 102. Unlike most known wads, the wad 104 ofthe present invention does not restrict lateral movement of the arrow400 through the firing process, nor does it follow the projectile of thearrow 400 when it is discharged from the barrel of the firearm. Rather,the arrow 400 may be sized to directly couple with the inner wall 502 ofthe shell case 102 such that the wad 104 may remain within the shotgunafter the shotgun is fired, thereby reducing the time associated withclean-up and increasing the overall safety of the shotgun. As such, theterm “directly coupled” is defined as contacting or connected withoutany interposing solid structure.

Another reason the firing surface 200 may be beneficially of a materialharness different than a material hardness of the body 106 of the wad104 can be seen illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7. As shown in FIG. 6, a wad600 includes a spherical tip 602 that tapers upwardly from acircumferential point, e.g., point 604, on the body 606 of the wad 600and terminates into the firing surface 608. In said embodiment, thematerial harness of the firing surface 608 is greater than the materialhardness of the body 606 of the wad 600. In one embodiment, thespherical tip 602 is a metallic material, e.g., steel, of a hardness ofapproximately 20-30 Rockwell C, while the hardness of the wad body 606is of a hardness described above. The firing surface 608 with a harderspherical tip 602 than the body 606 is advantageous in that there is anincreased pressure focalized toward the longitudinal axis of the shaft402 of the arrow 400, as opposed to a more distributed load generatedfrom the wad 104 shown in FIG. 2 that may damage the fins 404 of thearrow if not of a lower material hardness. The harder spherical tip 602also facilitates a more efficient energy transfer from the primaryexplosive, as there will be less energy losses associated withstructural deformation of the entire wad 600.

As shown in FIG. 6, the body 606 can be seen having a platform 610 witha circumferential outer diameter that defines the maximum width(indicated with arrow 612) of the body 606. As depicted, thecircumferential point 604 on the body 606 from which the spherical tip602 extends is a radial length (indicated with arrow 614) from thecircumferential outer diameter of the platform 610. This radial length614 ensures the tip 602 will not damage the fins 404 of the arrow.Similar to the firing disc 202, the spherical tip 602 may beconcentrically disposed in relation to the body 606 of the wad 600.

Additionally, with reference to FIG. 7, the position of the arrow-likeprojectile 400 in relation to the shell 102 and wad 600 along aprojectile loading path may be similar to the position to the wad 104described in relation to FIG. 5. Also similar to the wad 104 depicted inFIGS. 2 and 5, the wad 600 may also have an wad inner wall 700 spanningfrom a proximal end 702 of the wad 600 that defines a volume (indicatedwith arrow 704) for housing a main propellant charge.

With reference now to FIG. 8, the assembly shown through FIGS. 1-7 maybe beneficially sold together as a “kit” to the purchasing public, withthe addition of a target 800. As such, users will be able to purchaseall components necessary, absent a firearm, to engage in safe andeffective target practicing techniques. The target 800 may be entirelyof a plastic or paper material. Alternatively, the target 800 may have aplastic or paper sheet as the outer surface and a corrugated ordampening back surface or layup that provides enough resistant forces tostop the arrow-like projectile 400 over an impact distance withoutdamaging the arrow 400. In additional embodiments, the target 800 ismade of wound strips of foam polymeric material, e.g., polyethylene.

With reference now to FIG. 9, a method of target practicing with ashotgun is depicted in a process-flow diagram that starts at step 900and immediately proceeds to a first step 902 of loading a shotgun shellwith a wad of the aforementioned characteristic(s) and component(s) forthe shell and the wad, e.g., a firing surface of a material harnessdifferent than a material hardness of the body of the wad. The next step904 may include inserting a proximal end of an arrow-like projectilewith a plurality of fins into the internal cavity until the proximal endof the arrow abuts (at some point within the projectile loading path)the firing surface of the wad and without the proximal end of the arrowbeing encapsulated by the wad. In other embodiments, the arrow may beinserted such that the plurality of fins are slidably and directlycoupled to an inner wall of the shotgun shell. When loaded into theshell, the arrow will likely be projecting outwardly from a distal endof the shell, but will be relatively stationary, i.e., resistant tolateral movement.

The process continues to the next step 906 of loading the shotgun shell,the wad, and the arrow-like projectile into a firing chamber of afirearm, most likely a shotgun. The firearm will also have a barrel thatdefines a distal opening as will be readily apparent by those of skillin the art. Next, in step 908, the user will fire the firearm so as todischarge the arrow-like projectile from the distal opening of thebarrel and leaving the shotgun shell and the wad disposed within.Testing has shown the structural configurations and material of theabove-described assembly permit the wad and the shell to be left behindin the firing chamber or within the barrel of the firearm. The processterminates at step 910. While the above described steps are preferablycarried out in the above order, variations of the order of said stepscan be deviated as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art.

As such, a shotgun shell assembly and kit has been disclosed thatenables a user to increase his or her shooting accuracy and responseshooting time in a safe, efficient, and effective manner. Additionally,the shotgun shell assembly and kit also reduce the time associatedclean-up after target practice and enable many of the components of theassembly and kit to be reusable.

What is claimed is:
 1. A shotgun shell assembly comprising: a shotgunshell having a primer and a shell case defining an internal cavity; awad having a body with a maximum width sized to be removably insertedwithin the internal cavity of the shotgun shell, the wad including afiring surface disposed at a distal end of the wad, the firing surfaceof a material harness different than a material hardness of the body ofthe wad; and an arrow-like projectile with a distal end and a proximalend, the arrow-like projectile having a firing position along aprojectile loading path that includes: the arrow-like projectiledisposed within the internal cavity of the shotgun shell; and theproximal end of the arrow-like projectile abutting the firing surfacewithout being encapsulated by the wad.
 2. The shotgun shell assemblyaccording to claim 1, wherein: the body of the wad is of a cylindricalshape.
 3. The shotgun shell assembly according to claim 2, wherein thewad further comprises: a firing disc coupled to the body of the wad andincluding the firing surface, wherein the firing disc is of a circularshape and has a cylindrical shape corresponding to the cylindrical shapethe body of the wad.
 4. The shotgun shell assembly according to claim 3,wherein: the firing surface is substantially planar.
 5. The shotgunshell assembly according to claim 4, wherein: the firing disc isconcentrically disposed in relation to the wad of the body.
 6. Theshotgun shell assembly according to claim 1, wherein: the materialharness of the firing surface is lower than the material hardness of thebody of the wad.
 7. The shotgun shell assembly according to claim 6,wherein: the firing surface and the body of the wad are both of apolymeric material.
 8. The shotgun shell assembly according to claim 1,wherein the wad further comprises: a spherical tip that tapers upwardlyfrom a circumferential point on the body of the wad and terminates intothe firing surface.
 9. The shotgun shell assembly according to claim 8,wherein: the material harness of the firing surface is greater than thematerial hardness of the body of the wad.
 10. The shotgun shell assemblyaccording to claim 8, wherein the body of the wad further comprises: aplatform with a circumferential outer diameter that defines the maximumwidth of the body, wherein the circumferential point on the body fromwhich the spherical tip extends is a radial length from thecircumferential outer diameter of the platform.
 11. The shotgun shellassembly according to claim 8, wherein: the spherical tip isconcentrically disposed in relation to the body of the wad.
 12. Theshotgun shell assembly according to claim 1, wherein the arrow-likeprojectile further comprises: a plurality of fins, wherein the pluralityof fins are slidably and directly coupled to an inner wall of the shellcase when the arrow-like projectile is in the firing position.
 13. Theshotgun shell assembly according to claim 1, wherein the wad furthercomprises: a distal end, a proximal end, and a wad length separating thedistal and proximal ends of the wad, wherein the wad length is less thanapproximately 1 inch.
 14. A shotgun shell target practicing kitcomprising: a shotgun shell having a primer and a shell case with aninner wall defining an internal cavity; a wad having a body with amaximum width sized to be removably inserted within the internal cavityof the shotgun shell, a distal end and a proximal end, the wad includinga firing surface disposed at the distal end of the wad and a wad innerwall spanning from the proximal end that defines a volume for housing amain propellant charge; and an arrow-like projectile with a distal end,a proximal end, and a plurality of fins, the arrow-like projectilehaving a firing position along a projectile loading path that includesthe arrow-like projectile disposed within the internal cavity of theshotgun shell without being encapsulated by the wad and with theplurality of fins slidably and directly coupled to the inner wall of theshell case.
 15. The kit according to claim 14, wherein: the firingsurface is of a material harness different than a material hardness ofthe body of the wad.
 16. The kit according to claim 15, wherein the wadfurther comprises: a firing disc coupled to the body of the wad andincluding the firing surface, wherein the firing disc is of a circularshape and has a cylindrical shape corresponding to a cylindrical shapethe body of the wad.
 17. The kit according to claim 16, wherein: thefiring surface is substantially planar and the firing disc isconcentrically disposed in relation to the wad of the body.
 18. The kitaccording to claim 17, wherein: the material harness of the firingsurface is lower than the material hardness of the body of the wad. 19.A method of target practicing with a shotgun comprising: loading ashotgun shell, defining an internal cavity, with a wad, the wadincluding a body and a firing surface of a material harness differentthan a material hardness of the body of the wad and disposed at a distalend of the wad; inserting a proximal end of an arrow-like projectilewith a plurality of fins into the internal cavity until the proximal endabuts the firing surface without being encapsulated by the wad; loadingthe shotgun shell, the wad, and the arrow-like projectile into a firingchamber of a firearm, the firearm having a barrel defining a distalopening; and firing the firearm so as to discharge the arrow-likeprojectile from the distal opening of the barrel and leaving the shotgunshell and the wad disposed within the firearm.
 20. The method accordingto claim 19, further comprising: inserting the proximal end of thearrow-like projectile such that the plurality of fins are slidably anddirectly coupled to an inner wall of the shotgun shell.